Ranchi, Nov. 30: The Regional Direct Taxes Advisory Committee has demanded that the Dhanbad income-tax zone be tagged to Ranchi instead of Patna.

The decision was taken at a committee meeting here last week. The committee members said since Unit Trust of India (UTI) has not been efficient in issuing Permanent Account Number (PAN) cards, the job should again be done by the income-tax department.

The agenda of the meeting was to introduce the members to each other and discuss the problems of tax payers.

Sources said the members argued that the Dhanbad income- tax circle should be returned to Jharkhand as the state was suffering a huge financial loss.

Since April 2002, the income tax commissioner at Dhandbad is functioning under the supervision of the chief commissioner, Patna. Consequently, the direct tax earning from Dhanbad circle is going to Bihar.

The committee was formed a couple of weeks ago under the directives of the Central Board of Direct Taxes with the aim of discussing measures to develop and encourage mutual co-operation between tax payers and the income-tax department.

It will also work out measures to remove administrative and procedural difficulties of general nature. The term of the members would be for two years and the committee would meet twice every financial year in October and April. Ranchi’s chief income tax commissioner Jagdish Jha has been appointed the committee’s chairman.

“Dhanbad accounts for one of the highest direct tax earning in the country, but 80 per cent of the earnings go to Bihar. We should stop the process immediately and the Dhanbad income tax commissioner should be asked to function under the supervision of the chief commissioner in Ranchi,” a member said.